Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| MuslimaKanadiyya |
| 10/29/01 at 11:18:19 |
| [slm] I was sad to read this in today's Globe and Mail. I am considering writing to the editor of the newspaper, but thought it might be a good idea to see what other people thought of it first. I really don't want to seem like just another irate Muslim so if anyone has any ideas about compassionate ways to educate the author and the editor about hijab, please let me know. I think that she thinks that she's trying to understand islamic dress codes, but I really don't think that she succeeds. Also, If anyone wants to e-mail the author of the article, I've included her address at the bottom of the post. Jazak allah khairan [wlm] Leslie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRINT EDITION Wearing the hijab: Walking straight with your arms at your sides By LEAH MCLAREN Saturday, October 27, 2001 – Page L3 "A woman deserves to be hidden -- her body as well as her voice." -- Imam Qurtubi, Islamic scholar Sultan Salahuddin is helping me pick out my first[i] burqa[/i] and matching [i]hijab.[/i] We are in his shop, Islamic Books and Souvenirs, on Gerrard Street East in the Little India district of Toronto. Countless different editions of the Koran line the walls amid all manner of Islamic kitsch -- glitzy prayer beads and I Love Allah mugs with a heart where the word "love" should be. I ask him if he has any full veils with the mesh masks, like the ones women wear in Afghanistan under the Taliban. "Oh!" he says, clapping his hands together, "I ordered four a month ago and sold the last one yesterday. But here, I will find you something very beautiful, for everyday wear." He pulls a slippery black polyester garment off the rack and points out the embroidery on the trim. "This one has a matching scarf," he says, helping me to do up the buttons, wrapping the [i]hijab[/i] tightly around my head and pinning it under my chin with a black diaper pin. He checks to make sure the [i]hijab[/i] falls evenly, adjusting it to conceal my throat and hair and then holds up a small gilt mirror. A tiny, chalk-faced nun stares back, her blue eyes silently panicked. Sultan puts one hand over his heart, cocks his head and sighs. "Now, you look very pretty," he says, smiling. "Most people do not understand the [i]hijab.[/i] It is from the inside. It will make you do good in your life." I ask Sultan if he is married and he says he is. "Does your wife wear one of these?" I ask. He laughs. "Oh no, she is American." Before I leave the shop, Sultan gives me a book on the history of the [i]hijab[/i] and insists I take a gift of prayer beads. Impulsively, I pluck a sparkly pink plastic string off the rack, but he shakes his head and pulls a looped strand of polished stone beads from under the counter. "I want you to have these ones," he says, slipping the string over my wrist. "They very expensive and good. You can hold them whenever you feel strange." Within the Muslim world, cover for women is a subject of agonizing internal debate. Many reformed Muslims, particularly in the West, argue that traditional dress such as the [i]hijab[/i], the face and head cover, as well as the full body shroud known alternately as the [i]burqa[/i] or [i]jalbab[/i],is a cultural imposition rather than a religious dictate. Forcing women to cover up, the reformers say, reflects an overly literal interpretation of scripture, in particular the passage in the Koran that commands that the wives of the Prophet speak to their husband "from behind a screen; that makes for greater purity for your hearts and theirs." (Surah Ahzab, v. 53) But for millions of traditional Muslim women, wearing the [i]hijab[/i] is a matter of divine law. For them, the message is clear: Cover up or consider your ticket to paradise null and void. As a godless Western woman accustomed to baring as much of myself as Canadian weather will comfortably allow, I was curious to know what it would feel like to wear the veil for a day. My assumption was that people would be offended by the sight of a WASP in traditional Muslim garb, particularly after the outraged response CBC news correspondent Céline Galipeau recently received when she appeared on the television in the pro-Taliban city of Quetta, Pakistan, with a [i]hijab[/i] wrapped loosely around her head. I'd assumed people would stare, or even sneer, at me, and yet as I roam the streets and ride public transit shrouded in my black [i]burqa[/i] and [i]hijab[i],precisely the opposite proves true. No one rests their eyes on my face long enough to notice my paleness. People move aside on the sidewalk and traffic stops to let me jaywalk across Yonge Street. The world is suddenly giving me a wide berth. I feel invisible, and yet accommodated. It's actually quite pleasant. But it's hot under here. My skin is sticky and irritated and I wonder what the covered women of the Taliban normally wear under their [i]burqas[/i] to keep from roasting in the desert. I'm guessing it isn't a sweater and jeans. Normal behavior seems strangely inappropriate under the veil. I miss four calls on my cellphone before I figure out how to shove the receiver up and under the [i]hijab[/i] and even then I feel strangely self-conscious talking. Chewing gum suddenly feels like a comically vulgar thing to do, as does putting on my sunglasses, drinking from a bottle of water, applying lipstick, laughing, looking at my watch, eating, bending down to tie my shoelace, using a credit card, making eye contact, asking where the bathroom is, reading the newspaper or petting a dog. For the first time ever, I am aware of how cocky and girlish my posture is. The veil commands me to take my hands off my hips, round my shoulders and lower my chin. It persuades me to walk quickly with my arms at my side, staring down at the sidewalk. I meet a friend for lunch at a restaurant uptown. He is visiting on business from the United States and arrives wearing a chunky 101st U.S. Airborne Division belt buckle decorated with star and stripes -- an accessory that is sort of a joke and sort of isn't. I'd thought he would laugh when he saw me, but instead he looks awkward, hesitates before kissing me hello. The waiters are being overly attentive, announcing the arrival of "the citrus bouquet" before setting down lime slices for our mineral water. "How do I look?" I ask. "Sort of fragile and delicate. Like you're in need of protection," he says. I lower my eyes and think of the behavioural dictates of the [i]hijab[/i], listed in the book Sultan gave me: "Rule No. 5. When women need to talk to men, they should do so from behind a screen and not speak in a pleasant and overly friendly manner." Under the table, I finger the prayer beads and feel strangely, suddenly ashamed. "Mostly," my friend continues, "you just look oppressed." [email=lmclaren@globeandmail.ca]lmclaren@globeandmail.ca[/email] [url=http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/printarticle/gam/20011027/STLEAH]Link to article here[/url] |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Marcie |
| 10/28/01 at 09:36:56 |
| As salamu alaykumm sister, To be honest I'm really sick of the discussion about hijab, but you really need to respond to this one. First off the only one that is doing the oppressing is the one that is telling me that I'm oppressed. My brothers and sisters aren't oppressing me, they respect me. For me personally, as a women, I also find women who wear the headscarf beautiful, especially young sisters who have made the decision to wear it. I know how tough it can be sometimes and I'm really proud of them for making this decision. Secondly I'm a practicing European American Muslim revert, not a traditional Muslim, who like millions of others has CHOOSEN to follow the Quran when it comes to hijab. Muslims believe that the Quran is the word of God and the laws that he has established are for all times and places. This has nothing to do with traditional or reform policies. Please keep your terminology out of it. Without speak to one Muslim you tell us what we thing. Who said anything about you being a "godless western women?" Only you know what is in your heart and what you believe. You write an article judging us and then you even presume to know what we are thinking! For me personally the only person that concerns me is myself. I'm so busy trying to make myself a better person that I really don't have time to judge anyone else, besides that it is really not Islamic. If a sister decides to wear the hijab or not it is her own decision, she is still my sister in Islam and this issue has never interferred in my relationships. Next time you chose to write an unbiased article try talking to some Mulim women. We are everywhere and we come from all walks of life. You'd be pleasantly suprised at the intellegence you'll find hidden behind a hijab. Well right or wrong this is basically the email that I sent. As salamu alaykum Marcie |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| eleanor |
| 10/28/01 at 12:29:48 |
| slm Mash Allah. Well done Sister Marcie! wasalaam eleanor |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| se7en |
| 10/28/01 at 21:53:26 |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Barr |
| 10/29/01 at 06:39:14 |
| Assalamu'alaikum :-) [quote]"Mostly," my friend continues, "you just look oppressed."[/quote] err... so... errm... I guess.. that's how he feels towards nuns? but.. oh wait... they're different. Give me a break. Sorry, mates.. just had to let that out. Wassalam |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| momineqbal |
| 10/29/01 at 13:58:13 |
| [slm], [quote]Forcing women to cover up, the reformers say, reflects an overly literal interpretation of scripture, in particular the passage in the Koran that commands that the wives of the Prophet speak to their husband "from behind a screen; that makes for greater purity for your hearts and theirs." (Surah Ahzab, v. 53) [/quote] Speak to their husbands from behind the screen? May Allah guide people who can even take the liberty to misquote the Quran. Wassalam |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Jenna |
| 10/29/01 at 14:25:25 |
| [wlm] This is the essence of Muslim Women! ~~~~~~ WOMEN OF THE VEIL by Hena Farooq Her long, thick, shiny black hair Fell against her back. Her rich, copper skin Gleamed in the sunlight. Her slender figure outlined, With her soft voluptuous curves. But when she stepped outside, She became a ghostly figure of the night. Nothing more to the people Than a dark, shadowy figure of oppression. But she showed them. As she walked down the street, People made way, Men lowered their gazes in utmost respect. And others whispered, As she held her head up high, With pride in her belief And showed them how oppressed she really was! While they whistled at their women, Looking them up and down as they were pieces of meat to be inspected? She pitied their savage ways. As she walked into the arms of her partner, Her only love, Her husband. Where she was transformed, Into her beautiful self, For only his eyes to see. ~~~~ A poem takin from my website Muslim Wives Talking! http://allahsway.com [slm] Jenna :-) |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Arsalan |
| 10/29/01 at 15:54:05 |
| [slm] Wow! I didn't catch that error the first time I read the article eqbal! That's pretty screwed up. |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Anonymous |
| 10/29/01 at 18:11:01 |
| Just for your interest, here's another recent article she wrote. I found it searching for her name on the www.globeandmail.com website: The Muslim who came to Thanksgiving dinner By LEAH MCLAREN Saturday, October 13, 2001 – Print Edition, Page L3 As turkey crackled in the oven last Thanksgiving weekend, my extended family sat transfixed watching Osama bin Laden address the world on CNN. How still and sleek he was, menacing in battle fatigues and head scarf. His words, filtered through stilted live translation, seemed diametrically opposed to his dispassionate demeanour. "Every Muslim must rise to defend his religion," he muttered into the camera. "The wind of faith is blowing and the wind of change is blowing to remove evil from the Peninsula of Mohammed, peace be upon him." My father switched off the television. The cue for one of us to make a cheerful quip about sports scores, or needing a refresher drink came and went. Instead, silence. At the opposite end of the room, my 23-year-old younger sister, Meg, was cuddled up on the sofa with her new live-in boyfriend, Akif Ghani. Later in the evening, I asked Akif, who is the Canadian-born child of Muslim Pakistani parents, what he thought of bin Laden's speech. "That man," he said, "is not a Muslim." In a sense, neither is Akif. While he went to the mosque every Friday to pray as a child and still celebrates religious holidays with his family, he is no longer a believer. "I don't believe in God," he said, "so I don't consider myself a Muslim." Akif's parents immigrated to Canada from Pakistan nearly 30 years ago. Both he and his sister, Arshia, 26, were born and raised in the suburbs of Ottawa, where they spent their childhood attending public school, studying, hanging out at the mall, listening to pop music and watching American sitcoms on TV. Akif's parents, who divorced a few years ago, are both career civil servants. Growing up, Akif didn't really think about his Muslim heritage. In the multicultural stew that is our nation's capital, being brown seemed no less weird than being white. Lately, for the first time, he has become keenly conscious of his background. "For the first time in my life, I feel defensive of my heritage," he said. "People don't understand the religion, and they categorize all brown people as Muslim. And it's also frustrating because this holy war thing is ridiculous. Bin Laden wants people to believe the U.S. has declared war on all Muslims, when really they've declared war on all terrorists. Those crazy hijackers aren't Muslims. Terrorist acts are not Muslim acts. Muslims don't believe in shedding the blood of innocents. Read the Koran and you'll see that everything they have done is in direct violation of the faith. "Think of it this way," he said. "Nobody blamed all Christians after Oklahoma City -- they blamed Timothy McVeigh." Meg and Akif met in first year at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., where they had rooms next door to each other in residence. They were close friends for two years before they started dating. Meg bartended at a nightclub on the weekends and Akif would drop by to see her. Sometimes, she would go to watch him spin records as a DJ after work. Earlier this year, when Akif released his independent debut CD, a collection of original hip-hop songs entitled Something From My World,he mentioned Meg affectionately in the acknowlegments. Before meeting Akif and his family, Meg, who grew up with our father in Cobourg, Ont., had never known anyone who was Muslim or from the Middle East. A famously picky eater, we worried she might be an ungrateful house guest under the Ghani roof. Before long, however, she was gamely scarfing down curried potatoes for breakfast. Meg and Akif aren't particularly politically minded. Both grew up ensconced in the kind of middle-class, suburban comfort that makes issues of ethnicity and religion seem uninteresting, even irrelevant. In the past few weeks, all of this has changed. Watching the news after the World Trade Center attacks, Akif often became distant and angry. "It was hard for us to talk about it at first," my sister confided on the weekend, while Akif and Dad were out in the garage. "He was really tense about it. He'd get his back up and I didn't know what to say. Akif is the first Muslim person I've ever known. If I hadn't met him and his family, I wouldn't know anything about the Muslim religion. I'd probably think all Muslims were terrorists, or really extreme. You see the footage on the news of all those people praying and rioting in the streets, throwing rocks and stuff. I'd probably think that was basically what Muslims were all about." More than seven million Muslims live in North America today and twice that number in Europe. For many secular, Western-born Muslims like Akif, the feeling of cultural alienation is new and distressing. It is as if he suddenly exists inside and outside of two mutually exclusive cultural worlds, both of which he is critical of. First and foremost a Canadian, he is suddenly, glaringly, aware of a Muslim heritage he has long ignored. After the turkey was passed from plate to plate, my great step-uncle, Nick, who is 95 and attends mass every day, mumbled a standard grace. Something about, we are thankful to be starting this turkey dinner in the name of God. "Wait," said my stepmother, preventing Uncle Nick from lifting a gravy-soaked Brussels sprout to his mouth. She turned to Akif and asked if he would like to say a Muslim grace. If, she smiled, Muslims actually say grace, of course. Akif obliged by uttering a few velvet Arabic syllables. "What does it mean?" we asked, enchanted. "I start in the name of God." lmclaren@globeandmail.ca |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| gift |
| 10/30/01 at 09:42:28 |
| [slm] [quote]While they whistled at their women, Looking them up and down as they were pieces of meat to be inspected? She pitied their savage ways. As she walked into the arms of her partner, Her only love, Her husband. Where she was transformed, Into her beautiful self, For only his eyes to see[/quote] what a beautiful way to put it subhanallah! (may we all have such wonderful marriages!) [quote]"I don't believe in God," he said, "so I don't consider myself a Muslim."[/quote] ):( ):( and he dares to comment on whether other people are muslims or not!! astaghfirullah these people make me want to scream :( [wlm] |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| kiwi25 |
| 10/30/01 at 16:12:39 |
| salam, after reading the first article, i got soooooo mad, allowed my self to cool off for hmmm two seconds, and then wrote miss leah a letter. i dont think i was harsh though, i just "critiqued" her work. havent heard from her yet but like se7en said this women needs to go down. wasalam, nouha:) |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Mona |
| 10/30/01 at 16:56:45 |
| Assalamu alaikum, I am not trying to generalize here, but gals, being harsh is the last thing we want to do. We need to go back and examine the objective of replying to her in the first place. Like Leslie said, the focus should be on educating her in compassionate means. It is hard to do when her article is perceived as insulting to us, but it is the right thing to do. Let's remember that she is only exposed to the 'negative' image of Hijab. It is up to us to show her with kindness and patience that such ways of depicting Hijab i.e. negative association, are neither fair nor true to reality. I wrote to her and heard back from her, she was very polite and apologetic about perpetuating the negative image of Hijab. The text of our correspondence is pasted below (sans some personal info). Insha'Allah it should help others. Wassalam --------[i] From : "McLaren, Leah" <LMcLaren@globeandmail.ca> To : 'Mona ********' <********@hotmail.com> Subject : RE: The politics of Hijab Date : Tue, 30 Oct 2001 12:25:18 -0500 thanks so much for your thoughtful response. i'm sorry you felt my column perpetuated false and overly-simplistic notions of the hijab.] for my part, my project was a basic one. i was simply trying to explain, honestly, what it felt like to wear full cover for one day, as a non-muslim canadian woman. thanks for your openness. best, leah. -----Original Message----- From: Mona *******[mailto:********@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, October 29, 2001 7:04 PM To: lmclaren@globeandmail.ca Subject: The politics of Hijab Dear Ms. McLaren, Your recent article entitled "Wearing the hijab: Walking straight with your arms at your sides' - The Globe and Mail, October 27th, 2001 depicts your interest in trying to understand 'hijab' and how it is perceived by others in Toronto. Such interest is certainly welcome by Muslim women, who are probably the most misunderstood species in the World! While it did not come as a great surprise, your piece did not do us -Observant Muslim Women- much justice. Instead, it perpetuated the false, warped and overly simplistic equation of dressing modestly and oppression/lack of intelligence. I am sure you have received many letters and e-mails of protest from readers. Let me assure you that this is not another irate message. Rather, it is an attempt to promote constructive dialogue and undestanding. Your article actually reminded me of a colleague of mine who recently obtained her PhD in Political Sciences from the University o Toronto. I am attaching her PhD thesis as a PDF document (you'll need Acrobate reader to open it). You'll find in there a useful analysis of how the Veil (hijab) is usually perceived, in not so overt manners. It is my hope that your attempts of understanding the true value and meaning of Hijab to Muslim women are fruitful. Sincerely, Mona ******** Ph.D. Candidate Department of Biochemistry University of Toronto http://*** |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Madinat |
| 10/31/01 at 01:10:13 |
| [slm] But for millions of traditional Muslim women, wearing the hijab is a matter of divine law. For them, the message is clear: Cover up or consider your ticket to paradise null and void. so i guess it's okay to do nothing else but this? please! [wlm] |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Jenna |
| 10/31/01 at 15:08:53 |
| ~~~~~ what a beautiful way to put it subhanallah! (may we all have such wonderful marriages!) ~~~~~ [slm] I do!! ;-D ;-D ;-D Alhumdulilah!!;-D ;-D ;-D Jenna:-) Insha'Allah to your du'aa Sis!! |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| UmmZaid |
| 11/03/01 at 23:51:56 |
| Salaam 'Alaikum Well, here's my reply. I'm sorry if I couldn't be nicer. But quite frankly, I am fed up with these non Muslim people who think that they can tell us, and the rest of the world, what we are like, what we believe, what our lives are like. They just don't get it. It's a Muslim thang, you wouldn't understand.... ---------------------------------- Ms. Mc Laren: I'm sure you've received hundreds of irate, and not so irate, e-mails about your article. I'm sure you're tired of the subject. Believe me, so am I. As an American Muslim woman who proudly and voluntarily chooses to wear the proper Islamic covering (which, by the way, is ordered in the Qur'an, just not in the verse that you improperly quoted), I am sick and tired of hearing about the hijab from people who don't have the first clue about what life really is like "on this side of the veil." Your experiment came out the way that it did because you have some preconceived notions about women and Islam and veiling that one afternoon of playing dress up won't solve. The passage about how you felt you suddenly had to modify your behavior (the cell phone dilemna, drinking water from a bottle) reflected your own sense of discomfort and your perceptions about Muslim women. All of the sisters I know have no problem talking on their cell phones (and they don't have to perform any sort of maneuvering with the scarf in order to do it) or eating in public, or chewing gum, or laughing, or any of the other stuff you felt "strange" doing. Guess what? We live our lives, just as you do, only we do it with an extra layer of cloth. Perhaps your discomfort came because you were suddenly, quite visably, different. In the jilbab (not burqa, that is a different garment) and the scarf, you were immediately marked as "different." In a time when Muslim people are being perceived as "bad," or "oppressed," this can certainly make one uncomfortable, much the way that being a Black man in some areas of the South makes one uncomfortable. It is a shame you couldn't talk to a real, live scarf wearing Muslim woman or two for this article (we do have voices, you know). It is a shame that your newspaper opted to run this experiment instead of giving space for a "first person" by a Muslim woman in hijab who knows what it's like to actually be a Muslim woman in hijab, every hour of every day of every year. I don't know if you understand how offensive it is to some Muslim women when non Muslim women play "dress up" in hijab, and then write about it, with no deep understanding of it's very real spiritual meaning for the millions of Muslim women who dress this way. People who do not believe in the Qur'an, who are not believing Muslim women who pray and who fast and who dress this way out of a love for their Lord will *never* understand what it is like to be a Muslim woman, and will *never* understand what it is like to wear the hijab every day, even when the going gets rough. Hijab, by the way, isn't a one way ticket to heaven, and the lack of one on a Muslim woman's head isn't a one way ticket to hell. Our religion and our spirituality goes much, much deeper than that, even if some folks (Muslim and non Muslim) don't want to admit that. Sara Umm Zaid NYC, NY |
| NS |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| eleanor |
| 11/05/01 at 14:34:34 |
| slm Well done Saraji, Mash Allah! I'm really impressed with all your replies so far! The article angered me too somewhat, but I'm hardly in a good position to reply to it. And it's nice to see you back Saraji :) wasalaam eleanor |
| Re: Misunderstanding the hijab |
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| Jenna |
| 11/05/01 at 16:18:29 |
| TO WESTERN WOMEN by Aisha When you look at me all you can see Is the scarf that covers my hair My word you can't hear Because you're too full of fear, Mouth gaping, all you do is stare. You think it's not my own choice, In your own "liberation" you rejoice. You're so thankful that you're not me. think I'm uneducated, Trapped, oppressed and subjugated. You're so thankful that you are free. But Western women you've got it wrong- You're the weak and i'm the strong, For I've rejected the trap of man. Fancy clothes- low neck, short skirt, These are devices for pain and hurt, Always jumping to the male agenda, Competing on his terms. No job share, no baby-sitting facilities, No feeding and diaper-changing amenities. No equal pay for equal skill- Your job they can always fill. Is this liberation? a person with ideas and thought, I'm not for sale, I can't be bought. I won't decorate anyone's arm, Nor be promoted for my charm. There's more to me than playing coy. Living life as a balancing game- mother, Daughter, wife, nurse, cleaner, cook, lover- And still bring home a wage. Who thought up this modern "freedom" Where man can love'em and man can leave 'em. This is not free but life in a cage. Western women you can have your life. Mine- it has less strife. I cover and i get respected Surely that's to be expected- For I won't demean the feminine I won't live to a male criterion. I dance to my own tune, And i hope you see this very soon, For your own sake- wake up and use your sight! Are you so sure that you are right? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MY SHADE by Khadija Javed You wonder what my shade is, What it represents. Call me anything; An extremist, a fundamentalist, Anything you desire. I don't care. My shade is My protection from this evil world, from roaming eyes, from diseased hearts. Call me anything; Vain or Submissive. don't care. My shade is My Protection of my beauty, reserved for one special gift that God has given me; My Life Partner. This world is but a fleeting moment about to end at Any Time. The Signs are here. The Day of Judgement is coming. No one will enter my grave with me except My body, my heart, my soul. Call me a pessimist, Distressed, Repressed, Oppressed, I don't care. My shade Covers me Like a tree from the sun; Like a coat of wax on your shiny new sportscar. My shade My protection, is my Khimaar, I am a woman of Islaam. ~~~~~~~ [slm] Beautiful!! These poems were taken from my website Muslim Wives Talking. ( http://AllahsWay.com ) Your Sis in Islaam Jenna :-) |
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